Scala launches as financial markets boutique
Arpine Abgaryan and Miguel Sánchez have launched Scala, an independent boutique law firm specializing in financial regulation, capital markets and investment. The firm is headquartered in Madrid, has a presence in Barcelona and plans to operate internationally. It provides regulatory and transactional advice to financial institutions, investment companies and governing bodies.
Founders and background
Scala brings together two complementary careers. Arpine Abgaryan, Managing Partner, specializes in financial regulation and banking law. She has held senior management responsibilities at an international financial group with a presence in Andorra, Spain, Luxembourg and Miami. She sat on its management committee and headed the legal, regulatory compliance and anti-money laundering areas. Her experience includes banking integrations, dealings with supervisors in several jurisdictions, and acting as board secretary and legal adviser to the boards of financial institutions.
Miguel Sánchez, Managing Partner, has built his career at specialist firms and was a partner at an international firm, where he created and led the securities markets practice. He has led domestic and cross-border equity and debt transactions, IPOs and public offers, coordinating the parties involved and liaising with supervisors and markets. He also provides ongoing advice to listed companies and their governing bodies.
Both founders have more than fifteen years of experience in specialist legal practice. Both have been law firm partners and have created and run specialized practice areas. According to the firm, this combination allows it to address business needs, transaction structure and regulatory implications together, integrating external legal advice with first-hand knowledge of corporate management.
Firm model and approach
The firm works under the concept “Back to basics. Volver a lo esencial”, which puts the client and its business at the center of legal advice. Its model rests on a practice focused on its areas of specialization, professional judgment and the direct involvement of its partners. The structure is designed to maintain close, continuous contact with clients, both in their day-to-day activity and in strategic projects.
“Advising from the outside and living the company from the inside, with the responsibility of making decisions, changes what you expect from a lawyer and how you advise,” said Arpine Abgaryan.
For Miguel Sánchez, “experience makes it possible to anticipate what may affect a transaction, how to structure it to bring it to completion and what it will mean for the business after closing.”
